How to Turn Anything Into a Touchpad

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University say they have developed a low-cost way to make everyday objects touch-sensitive

By

Daniel Akst

May 12, 2017 11:53 am ET

Imagine moving your finger down a wall to dim the lights. Or think of learning about the brain from an exact replica made of Jell-O; when you touch the occipital lobe, a computer tells you, “That’s the visual processing center.”

Humans respond to touch, so why shouldn’t everything else? That spirit has led scientists at Carnegie Mellon University to develop a low-cost way of turning almost anything into a touchpad. Their research aims to overcome the expense and technical difficulties of imbuing irregularly shaped objects...